Gas burner



July 17, 1956 l W. H. DORNBACK, JR

GAS BURNER Filed May 28, 1952 IN VEN TOR. W/a/AM Af. o/vu c/n/.

4free/Veys United States Patent O GAS BURNER William H. Dornback, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio Application May 28, 1952, Serial No. 290,433

2 Claims. (Cl. 158-106) This invention relates to heaters or furnaces of the gas burner type and particularly to gas burners wherein p an air inlet is provided adjacent the actual gas burning area of the burner, and wherein a plurality of such burners may be positioned in spaced relationship on a common gas supply manifold.

Burners of the type referred to are used in furnaces of various kinds, including particularly home gas furnaces. These furnaces usually have used some type of a gas supply manifold which extends into the furnace and has a plurality of individual burners connected thereto within the furnace. Heretofore this common gas supply manifold was provided with an air inlet that usually was positioned exteriorly of the furnace. When such types of burners are turned down to a low llame, it frequently will puff back to the air mixture valve or inlet and deposit carbon on such mixing valve. This deposit of carbon is undesirable for several reasons and the puing back of the gas llame also provides a safety hazard.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved type of a heater or burner unit of the class described which avoids the objections pointed out hereinabove in previous styles of burner units and to provide a unit that is characterized by the individual feeding of air to a plurality of separate burners on a common supply manifold in a furnace.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new type of a burner which has improved safety of operation and which contines any dirt or carbon produced completely within the furnace.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an efficient gas burner that does not puff back to its air supply means even with a low flame in the burner.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated gas burner that is adapted to have a long service life with a minimum of maintenance.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be made more apparent as the specification proceeds.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is an elevation, partially shown in section, of a portion of a burner unit embodying the principles of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the burner of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The present. invention, broadly speaking, relates to a burner unitincluding a manifold of suitable contour that has av plurality of spaced apertures provided in its upper surface, a plurality of support spiders, and means for securing ythe support spiders individually to the manifold in register with the apertures therein. Open bottomed burners are positioned on the spiders to receive air individually through exposed bottom areas thereof, and the means securing the spiders to the manifold have bores therein for feeding gas into the burners, while additional means engage the burners to secure them tixedly to the manifold.

In order to understand the invention completely, attention is directed to the details of the structure shown and it includes a burner unit indicated as a whole by the numeral 1. This burner unit 1 is for use in the combustion of natural gas, or similar gaseous materials, and it includes a gas supply manifold 2 that may be of any suitable shape and cross-section. The manifold 2 connects to a suitable source of gas and extends into the actual furnace in which the burner 1 is positioned with no air supply mixture valve or the like being provided for the manifold 2 externally of the furnace in which the burner is positioned. The manifold 2 has a plurality of bosses 3 provided at longitudinally, or circumferentially spaced portions thereof dependent upon the shape of the manifold, on the upper surface of the manifold for feeding gas therefrom. These bosses 3 are provided with suitable tapped bores 4 and, as an important feature of the invention, each of the bosses 3 normally has a spider 5 positioned thereon. Each of the spiders 5 has circumferentially spaced arms 6 thereon with the arms 6 normally having upwardly turned flanges 7 at the ends thereof. These spiders 5 are suitably secured to the manifold 2 by use of means, such as a nipple or rosette, 8 which has a bore 9 extending completely therethrough so that gas can freely flow through such nipples 8. Preferably the nipples 8 also have flanges 10 thereon that engage the spiders adjacent central apertures in the spiders 5 to force such spiders against the upper edge of the bosses 3 so that such spiders are xedly secured in position. Usually the spiders 5 are made from light weight sheet metal.

As another important element of the invention, a burner 11 is positioned on each of the spiders 5. These burners 11 are usually of a cast metal or other reproof construction and include a substantially rectangularly shaped head 12, a frusto-conical shaped tubular body 13, and an enlarged, hollow semi-spherical base 14. Fig. 3 of the drawing best shows that the base 14 of the burner 11 has exposed open base areas by reason of the support of such burners by the spiders 5. Thus such exposed areas of the open bases or bottom portions of the burners 11 provide excellent means by which air can flow into the burner for mixture with the gas passing into' the burner through the nipple 8 for combustion as such mixture passes from the burner 11. Gases flow from the burners 11 through a plurality of elongate, narrow slots 15 provided in the head of the burner, with such slots 15 extending down into the side portions of the head. It is thought that possibly the shape of, and the change iu cross sectional areas of, the burners 11 from the base to the top thereof aids in mixing the air and combustible gas to assist in obtaining efficient utilization of the gas.

Preferably the burners 11 are positively secured in position on the manifold 2 and thus a retaining bar 16 may be secured to the manifold 2 by means, such as a cap screw, 17 intermediate each pair of the burners 11. Such retainer bars 16 usually have substantially U-shaped ends that snugly engage the upper portions of the bases 14 of the burners. The set screws 17 normally engage threaded bosses 18 provided at spaced portions of the manifold for use in securing the retainer bars in position.

As another element of the new construction of the invention, the manifold preferably includes supporting lugs 19 that are provided on the upper surface of the manifold 2 adjacent the end portions of the spiders 5 to support them against deflection by the burners 11. Such lugs 19 are spaced from the bosses 3, as indicated in Fig.

1, and do not interfere with air flow into the base portions of the burners while aiding in the support of such burners. Preferably the bosses 3, bosses 18 and lugs 19 are all formed integrally with the manifold 2 that is usually of cast construction. Support bosses 20 also may be provided on the bottom portion of the manifold 2 at spaced parts thereof to carry the weight of the manifold should it ever be necessary to rest such manifold directly upon a support surface.

ln tests made of burners constructed in accordance with the invention, they functioned effectively and efficiently and have avoided any flash back or puff of the gas in the gas burners under all normal operating conditions. Thus it is thought that the objects of the invention have been achieved.

While one complete embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein, it will be appreciated that modication of this particular embodiment of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the Scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A burner construction that comprises an annular manifold with a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures in its upper surface, a plurality of support spiders each having several circumferentially spaced support arms with flanged ends, means connecting to the interior of said manifold securing said support spiders individually to said manifold in register with said apertures, burners carried by said spiders and retained in position by the flanges thereon, said means having bores therein for feeding gas into said burners, said burners having enlarged bases thereon, retainer bar means snugly engaging said burner bases, and means extending between said retainer bar means and said manifold to draw said retainer bar means against said burner bases and said burners against said support spiders to secure said burners in a xed position.

2. A burner construction that comprises an annular manifold with a plurality ofrcumferentially spaced apertures in its upper surface, a plurality of support spiders each having several circumferentially spaced support arms with flanged ends, means connecting to the interior of said manifold securing said support spiders individually to said manifold in register with said apertures, burners carried by said spiders and retained in position by the flanges thereon, said means having bores therein for feeding gas into said burners, said burners having enlarged bases thereon, retainer bar means snugly engaging and extending between a pair of said burner bases, and means extending between said retainer bar means and said manifold to draw said retainer bar means against said burner bases and said burners against said support spiders to secure said burners in a fixed position, said manifold having lugs on spaced portions thereof engaging and supporting the end portions of said spiders and leaving lower areas of said burners exposed for ow of air thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 499,731 Hartmann et al. June 20, 1893 637,849 Buerkle Nov. 28, 1899 700,535 Monjo May 20, 1902 720,303 Wilson Feb. 10, 1903 1,161,282 Bartlebaugh Nov. 23, 1915 1,180,923 Humphrey Apr. 25, 1916 1,279,250 Cain Sept. 17, 1918 1,406,800 Wood Feb. 14, 1922 1,712,885 Harteld May 14, 1929 1,939,058 Kilpatrick Dec. 12, 1933 1,972,016 Horton Aug. 28, 1934 1,978,177 Sweet Oct. 23, 1934 2,142,014 Zink Dec. 27, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 163,354 Great Britain May 6, 1921 

